Lubricating apparatus



Apri 30, 1946. 5J. T. LEONARD LUBRICATING APPARATUS Filed April 19, 1944 M Z a W .IIIIIII-lllllll April 30, 1946.

` .11. T. LEONARD LUBRICATING APPARATUSv 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 19, 1944 (i (fra/vz r11 J April 30, 1946. J. T. LEONARD LUBRICATING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 19, 1944 April 30, 1946.,

LUBRICATING APPARATUS Filed April 19, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 4v J. T. LEONARD 2,399,277 l Patented Apr. 30, 1646 UNirsD STATES PlrritN'r OFFICE LUBRICATING APPARATUS `iohn T. Leonard, Evanston, Ill.

Application April 19, 1944, Serial No. 531,750

5 Claims.

' My invention relates generally to lubricating apparatus, and more particularly to a lubricant pumping and distributing mechanism suitable for use as a part of a centralized lubricating system.

It is an object of my invention to provide an improved lubricant pumping apparatus for central lubricating systems, as, for example, the dual line system, or similar lubricating systems, which is compact, easily operable, and which may be economically manufactured.

A further object is to provide an improved actuating mechanism for a high pressure pump having a primary mechanism.

Other objects will appear from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a front elevational View;

Fig. 2 is a part side elevation and part sectional view, taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; y

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 4;

Figs. 4 and 5 are transverse sectional views taken on the lines 4--4 and 55, respectively, of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 6--6 of Fig. 3 and showing the distributing valve.

The lubricant pumping apparatus comprises a base lll which may be a casting, and a reservoir l2, which is suitably secured to the base I and is provided with a hinged cover 14. Formed as part of the base casting l!) is a generally cylindrical guide I6 having a Ibore i6 for guiding a rack `20, this rack, as best shown in Fig. 5, having teeth 22 meshing with a segmental gear 24. The end of the bore i8 is closed by a plug 2|. The gear 24 is oscillated by means of a handle 26, the end of which is bent to form a shaft21 (Fig. having ats 26 formed thereon. The segmental gear 24 has a complementally shaped bore so that it rotates with the shaft 21. The shaft 21 has a long bearing 66 formed in the casting I6. The shaft 21 has an annular groove 32 into which the end of a set screw 34 projects, thereby holding the handle 26 and shaft extension 21 thereof in the bearing.

It will be noted (referring particularly to Fig. 2), that the guide i6 has openings at the top and the bottom thereof, and that the segmental gear 24 operates through the opening in the top. Extending through the opening at the bottom of the cylinder I6, is a bar 36 which is secured to the rack 20 by cap screws 38. The rack 20 has an axial bore 4D in the end thereof, and has a-transversely drilled hole 42 intersecting the bore 40 to receive a locking pin 44, the locking pin holding in place a plunger 46 which has a groove 48 for the reception of the locking pin. This type of connection of the plunger 46 to the rack 26 is advantageous, since a certain amount of play of the plunger with respect to the rack is permitted, and thus the proper alignment of the parts is facilitated. The plunger 46 operates in a cylinder liner 50 which is secured in a stepped bore 52 formed in an extension of the cylinder I6, the cylinder 50 having inlet ports 54 communicating with a space` 56 which is in free communication with a loW pressure cylinder 58. The cylinder liner 50 is clamped in position by a threaded plug 51, the end of the bore being closed by a plug V59.

Within the low pressure cylinder 56 there is located a Worm 60 (Fig. 4) which is pinned to a shaft 62 and has a stirring rod 64 secured to its upper end. This Worm and stirring rod may be of the general construction more fully disclosed in the patent to Ernest W. Davis, No. 1,980,984.

In general, as the Worm 60 and rod 64 are rotated grease from the reservoir is fed downwardly into the low pressure cylinder 58 and placed under slight pressure by the worm E0, and thus forced into the high pressure cylinder A50 through its inlet ports 54.

The Worm shaft 62 has a suitable bearing 68 in the end wall of the cylinder 58, and has a ratchet wheel 10 non-rotatably secured to its lower end. The -bar 36, which is secured to the rack 20, has a paWl arm 12 pivotally secured thereto by a bolt 14. At the free end of the arm 12 there is a shouldered stud 16, the reduced diameter portion 18 of which is engageable with the teeth of the ratchet Wheel 10. The arm 12 is urged in a counterclockwise direction (Fig. 3) by a tension spring so as to bias the stud 16, 16 into engagement with the ratchet wheel 10. A stop pin 19 projects downwardly from the bar 36 to limit the extent of movement of the arm 12.

From the foregoing, it will appear that as the handle 26 is swung back and forth, the ratchet Wheel 16 and hence the Worm 66 will, upon each oscillation, be rotated through an angle represented by the pitch of the teeth of the ratchet Wheel 16. Each oscillation of the handle will result in the reciprocation of the plunger 46, and the lubricant in the cylinder 56 will be discharged under high pressure through an outlet port 84 formed in the cylinder 56, past a springpressed outlet check valve 86. The check valve spring is held in place by a plug 81. The check valve 86 is located at the end of an L-shaped passageway 88, formed in a part of the base casting, and which leads to a strainer chamber 90. A hollow cylindrical wire mesh strainer 92 is secured in the chamber 90 by a plug 94, with the open end of the strainer suitably seated over the end of the passageway 83.

Lubricant from the outer side of the strainer 90 flows through an outlet port 95 and a conduit 98 and a T H30' tothe inletport 102 of a distributing valve body 104. The -valve body 104 has a tapered bore its for the reception of a tapered valve plug i08. This valve plug is provided with an elbow-shaped passageway 110 which, when the valve is in the position shown in Fig. 3, connects the inlet port 102 to a port 1|2. A conduit A leading to the bearings to be lubricated is connected to the body 104 in communication with the port H2. A similar conduit B is likewise connected vto the body 04, and communicates with a passageway H4 terminating in a port 1 i6 also at the level of the ports i02 and H2. The valve plug iSB is provided with three similar passageways H, iis, 52%), which, as best shown in Fig. 6, communicate with a space 122 of the lower end of the valve body 04. This space 522 communicates with the interior of the reservoir i2 through a tube im.

The valve plug 10S is maintained tightly seated in 'its bore 136 by means of a suitable springpressed wedging mechanism 26 which is disclosed in greater detail and claimed in my copending application, Serial No. 527,573, iiled March 22, 1944.

A handle 128 is secured to the upper end of the valve plug |08 for manual operation of the latter. The valve is adapted to be swung by meansV of the ,handle t28 from the position in which the valve is shown in Fig. 3, clockwise through an angle of 90. When the valve is in the position shown in Fig. 3, the lubricant entering the inlet port W2 ilows through the elbowshaped passageway H and thence through the port H2 and conduit A to the series of Vlubricant measuring valves associated with the bearings to be lubricated. These measuring valves may be of the type disclosed in my copending application, Serial No. 549,223, iiled August l2, i944.

- As the series oi valves operate they discharge some lubricant into conduit B, which lubricant is returned to the .reservoir through passageway H, port H6, passageway 32S, space E22, and conduit 25. After all of the measuring valves have operated, further flow through the conduit A is blocked and continued operation of the pump will result in building up 'the pressure in the system.

To indicate that the lubricating operation has been completed, there is provided a pressure indicator 32 having a plunger i3d and .connected to the T it yby a conduit i3d. `lThis indicator may be of any' desired conventional construction in which the plunger 34 is raised, against the force of a spring, to provide a visible indication whenever the lubricant pressure exceeds a predetermined amount.

In using the pump, the valve 108 is set in proper position and the handle 2B is swung back and forth. With each stroke of the handle the pawl arm 'i2 through its pin '3 engages the teeth of the ratchet Wheel 'E0 and rotates the worm 6B, together with its stirring rod t, clockwise. Even though the lubricant used is of very high viscosity, the stirring rod and worm will pack .the lubricant into the passageway '56 and force it through the ports 54 into the high pressure cylinder 50 whenever the ports are uncovered by the plunger 46. This priming mechanism is very effective on heavy lubricants which are substantially solid, since the stirring rod will operate to feed the lubricant toward the worm and the worm will squeeze entrained air from the lubricant and force the lubricant under low pressure to the high pressure cylinder.

, Assuming that the distributing valve is in the position shown in Fig. 3, the lubricant will be forced outwardly through the conduit A and any lubricant returned through the conduit B may ilow through the path previously described to the reservoir. When all of the measuring valves associated with the conduits A and B have been operated, the flow through the conduit A will be interrupted and continued operation of the pump will cause the pressure to build up and operate the indicator |32, thus apprising the operator that. the lubricating operation has been completed.

Upon the next lubrication operation, the distributing valve will be rotated through an angle of clockwise from the position in which the valve is shown in Fig. 3, whereupon yit will be noted that the inlet port 102 will be in communication through the passageway 1 I0 with' the port i I and as a result, lubricant under pressure will flow to the conduit B. During the course of the movement of the distributing valve from one operative position to the other, the passageway |19 registers with the port 102 for an instant, and thus assures a sufcient. drop in pressure that the spring pressed indicator plunger 134 may return to normal position. Any lubricant returned through the conduit A will be returned to the reservoir, since when the valve is in the aforesaid position, the passageway H8 will be in communication with the port 1 I2.

It will be noted that the majority of the nonmoving parts of the pumping mechanism are cast integrally with the base, thus greatly simplifying the manufacture of the apparatus. It will be noted also that the high pressure portion of the pump has its pressure stroke as the handle 26is swung in one direction, while the lowpressure pump is operated during the swinging of the handle 28 in the opposite direction. The operation of the pump is thus made less tiring.

`While I have shown and described particular embodiments of my invention, it will be apparent that numerous variations and modifications thereof may be made without departing from the underlying principles of the invention. I therefore desire, yby the following claims, to include within the scope of my invention all such variations and modications by which' substantially the results of my invention may be obtained through the use of substantially the same or equivalent means.

Iclaim:

l. In a pumping mechanism for ,centralized lubricating systems, the combination of a base casting having a low pressure cylinder and a high pressure cylinder supporting structure formed integrally therewith, a rotatable worm in said low pressure cylinder,a plunger reciprocablein. said high pressure cylinder, a rack secured to said plunger and guided for reciprocatory movement in said base casting, an operatinghandle having a shaft vbearing insaid base casting, a` segmental gear nonrotatably secured to said handle and meshing with said rack, a ratchet wheel secured to said Worm, and a pawl Vengageable with said ratchet wheel and reciprocated by said rack to cause rotation of said worm through a limited angle during the return stroke of said high pressure plunger.

2. In a pumping mechanism for lubricating systems, the combination of a base casting, a high pressure cylinder, a plunger reciprocable therein, a rack guided in said base casting and operatively connected to said plunger, a segmental gear meshing with said rack, an operating handle having a shaft portion nonrotatably coupled to said segmental gear, said shaft portion of said handle having an annular groove formed therein, and a set screw secured in said base casting and having the end thereof projecting freely into said groove thereby to hold said handle and segmental gear in assembled relation.

3. In a compact unitary high pressure pumping mechanism for centralized lubricating systems, the combination of a generally hollow base casting having a low pressure cylinder formed therein, a worm rotatable in said low pressure cylinder, a high pressure cylinder liner secured in said casting and having inlet ports communicating with said low pressure cylinder, a plunger reciprocable in said liner, an outlet check valve for said liner, an outlet passageway formed in said casting having the major portion thereof extending transversely of said high pressure cylinder, said passageway having an enlarged portion with a seat at the end thereof, a tubular screen of lesser diameter than said enlarged portion, a plug closing the end of said enlarged portion of said passageway and pressing one end of said screen against said seat, a rack operatively connected to said plunger, a one-way operative driving connection between said rack and said worm, and manually operable means for reciprocating said rack.

4. A compact unitary lubricant pumping mechanisrn having an integrally cast metal base, said base having a centrally located well portion forming a low pressure cylinder, rotary means within said low pressure cylinder impelling lubricant therein to the bottom of said cylinder, a high pressure cylinder mounted within said base and having an inlet port, a passageway formed in said base casting connecting the lower end of said low pressure cylinder with said inlet port, a plunger reciprocable in said high pressure cylinder, a rack coupled to said plunger, means formed as part of said base casting for guiding said rack for reciprocatory movement, a segmental gear meshing with said rack and held against lateral movement by portions of said base casting, an operating handle having a shaft portion non-rotatively coupled to said segmental gear, a ratchet wheel for operating said low pressure impelling means, and a pawl cooperating with said ratchet wheel and connected to said rack for reciprocation thereby.

5. A lubricant pumping mechanism having an integrally cast metal base, said base having a centrally located well portion forming a low pressure cylinder, a lubricant reservoir secured to said base above said cylinder, rotary means within said low pressure cylinder impelling lubricant therein to the bottom of said cylinder, a stirring rod secured to said rotary means and extending into said reservoir, a high pressure cylinder mounted within said base and having an inlet port, a passageway formed in said base casting connecting the lower end of said low pressure cylinder with sai-d inlet port, a plunger reciprocable in said high pressure cylinder, a rack coupled to said plunger, means formed as part of said base casting for guiding said rack for reciprocatory movement, a segmental gear meshing with said rack and held against lateral movement by portions of said base casting, an operating handle having a shaft portion non-rotatively coupled 'to said segmental gear, a ratchet wheel for operating said low pressure impelling means and said stirring rod, and a pawl cooperating with said ratchet wheel and connected to said rack for reciprocation thereby.

JOHN T. LEONARD 

